Taylor
by choklit-froggie
Summary: Angel reaches out to her stepsister. Nobody has looked this over except me so there might be grammar issues. Also Taylor is my first OC so please be nice to her. Rated to be safe... *Discontinued* If anyone wants to take it over, be my guest. :
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This was done for rentinspired over on livejournal. Go check it out! There's a link on my profile. **

I haven't seen Taylor since I moved out, years ago. I finally decided to track her down and amend my one regret. Mimi and I are always preaching "forget regret" while I still haven't spoken to my family since I came out to my mom and step-dad. They were devastated. The next day, they kicked me out and I moved to New York. I never heard from them again. Collins has told me time, and time again to reach out to them and find out how they're doing. They're probably doing wonderfully without me, but here I am; waiting for my step-sister, in this little coffee shop. I sent her a picture of myself out of drag. I'm not sure what her stance is on my sexuality so I thought it would be best for me to be out of drag.

I have no idea what she looks like anymore. How will I know it's her? What will she think of me? What will we talk about? Oh my god, this was a bad idea!

I was almost ready to get up and leave when I heard a familiar voice.

"Angel?"

I looked up to see Taylor's warm and energetic face. She looks almost identical to from what I remember, but she's definitely developed into a very lovely and mature woman.

"Taylor. It's good to see you again."

I motioned for her to sit down. She sat hesitantly. This was going to be an awkward talk.

There was an uncomfortable silence. I decided to break the ice first.

"How are mom and dad?"

She seemed relieved that the silence was broken.

"They're great. Dad finally retired from that stuffy desk job and mom's garden won some prizes."

"That's great!"

Silence. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought. The silence continued. This time, Taylor broke it.

"Angel, I have to be honest with you. Mom and dad don't know I'm here with you. They got the letter and mom burst into tears. Dad got really angry, ripped it up and threw it away. I went and picked out the pieces and read it. I wrote back to you and told mom and dad that I went out with friends. It's been five years since you left and I want to know why. They won't talk about it and I want to know. "

What? She doesn't know? How could they not tell her? Were they that ashamed of me, they wouldn't even tell Taylor?

"…You don't know? They never told you?"

She shook her head. She looked like she was about to cry, but angry at the same time.

"Taylor, I really don't think-"

"Tell me the truth Ang! I'm 15! I can handle it! I want to know why my sweet, 17 year old step-brother left home with no warning. What did you do to get both our parents so upset they won't talk about it? How could you leave without saying goodbye to me? You just left! You never called or anything! And then we get this letter out of the blue! What happened? I need to know!"

Tears were streaming down her face. "Please Angel. I'm begging you. What happened? And don't spare me any details because you think you're protecting me."

I looked at her sad face and sighed.

"If you want to know the truth, then here it is. I'm gay."

A look of shock came over her face.

"Do you get it now? That's why mom and dad don't talk about me anymore. They're ashamed. They were devastated by the news. They kicked me out the next day. I don't know how they kept it form you, but now you know the truth. I understand if you don't ever want to see or speak again, but Taylor…please. Say something; anything."

Taylor mulled this over for a moment. I started to brace myself in case of an explosion of insults and anger. I started thinking of Collins and how much I wish he was here to help me.

"What's his name?"

No backlash? Maybe this won't be so bad…

"You wouldn't have done this unless you had someone who really cared about you and could take care of you in case this all went south."

I smiled. "You're still the smart cookie I remember."

"And you're still the infamous question-avoider I learned to be annoyed with. What's his name?"

"Tom Collins. But he prefers Collins. He's a philosophy professor at NYU."

"Do you love him?"

"With all my heart. I've never happier than when I'm with him. He makes me feel like I matter. I feel like our love is real. Not the unnatural abomination the rest of the world seems to see it as. People have said that love isn't worth fighting for. He's proved them wrong. Love is everything it's cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, and risking everything for."

My voice was starting to crack from emotion. Taylor just smiled and nodded understandingly.

"I wish I could feel that way. I'm just stuck at home with nobody who really cares about me. All my friends have found some way of being happy, but me, life's passing me by. All I can do is hope that there's someone out there you can understand me. You're so lucky you've already found Tom."

"Tell you what. How about I introduce you the rest of my new family here in New York?"

Her eyes light up.

"Do you really mean it?"

"Yeah! Just call mom and tell her you're going to be out later than usual. If she's at all like I remember, she'll freak out as soon as you're a minute late."

Taylor laughed. "You're right." She went to go call. I got the bill and she came back two minutes later.

"Did Mom say it was ok for you stay out?"

"Yep!"

"Ok. Let's go!"

And so we went. Two siblings reunited.

I'm debating whether I should try to continue it so Taylor can meet the rest of the Bohos... What do you guys think?


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello readers! I just want to say Thank You to everyone that reviewed the first chapter and encouraged me to continue this. I'm really sorry it's taken so long for me to update. I've been in India for the last two and a half weeks and I don't have anything planed out so it took me awhile to figure out how I should continue. I'm making this chapter Taylor's POV, recounting what happened in the last chapter. Again, sorry about the wait. **

I hadn't seen my step-brother in years. I know that he left home after a fight with our parents. They wouldn't tell me so I had to speculate. A 12 year can have a very vivid imagination. I thought up various scenarios, ranging from him getting a girl pregnant, to drugs, to failing final exams. I never guessed one of the more obvious possibilities. I guess it makes sense that Angel's gay. It accounts for the fact he had all female friends, and never really had a girlfriend, despite his good looks. I remember girls always coming up to me asking me to give Angel their phone numbers.

Two weeks ago a letter came in the mail for mom and dad. It was from Angel! Mom and dad read it. Mom burst into tears and dad got really mad. He ripped the letter up and threw it into the garbage can. I thought it might hold some answers about what happened, so I fished it out and read it. Angel was asking if they could meet and talk about what happened. I sent a reply telling him that I was willing to see him. He sent a letter for me to meet him at a coffee shop in the East Village and there was a picture of him enclosed so I'd know what he'd look like. He looked just as I remembered him. His clean shaven face smiling from ear to ear as her drummed on a pickle tub. His hair was shorter than I remember. It looked like he buzzed it. It suited him. He was wearing a red jacket and faded jeans. I could see in the photo that he still has that leather knapsack I gave him for his 17th birthday.

I told mom that I was going out with some friends and I took off for the coffee shop. I saw him sitting at a table in deep thought. I remember seeing him like that when he used to live at home. I learned early on to _never_ disturb him when he was deep in his thoughts, but this was important. I needed answers.

The conversation started off fairly awkward, but after a bit of small talk I broke down and demanded answers from him. He was shocked that I didn't know. He said the two words I never expected. "I'm gay." It came as a bit of a shock to me. The same Angel who always had girls chasing after him? After I thought about it, it kind of explained a lot. Angel was always the one who co-ordinated my outfits for school and played dress-up with me when I was little and Angel never had a girlfriend that I know of, and we shared everything together. Well, everything except this… If this was what Angel wanted, then I would have to accept that.

"What's his name?"

Angel seemed surprised by this reaction. He eventually opened up about his boyfriend. It really sounds like he's in love. He got this look in his eyes you see in cheesy romance movies when the protagonists are deeply in love. As long has he has Tom, he knows that the rest doesn't' really matter. I wish I could feel that love. Angel, seeing my sadness, invited me to meet Tom and the rest of his new "family" over dinner. I called mom and told her that I was going to stay out late today and that she shouldn't worry about me. She reluctantly agreed, but agreed none the less. I was ecstatic! I was finally going to be able to have my step-brother and best friend back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Faithful readers (if there are any of you still interested in this): **

**I'm so sorry about the lack of updates. My summer was really jam packed and I had limited access to a computer. I would have updated sooner, but my darling cousin thought it would be funny to put a virus on my computer. Now that school work has sort of slowed down, I shall try to keep this updated as much as possible. **

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angel led a very excited and anxious Taylor down to the subway. As they waited for the next train, Angel chatted with a redheaded man drumming on a plastic tub. It appeared, to Taylor, that Angel and the man knew each other fairly well. Taylor watched them talk animatedly in fascination and curiosity. She couldn't catch every word of their conversation over the combined noise of the crowd, the bells signalling of the arrival and departure of the train on the other side of the tracks. When their train arrived, Angel waved goodbye to his friend and boarded the car. Taylor followed suit and sat in the closest seat she could find. Angel gracefully plopped himself down beside her as the train lurched forward.

Taylor's curiosity about the redheaded man finally got the better of her. "Who was that man you were talking to back there?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, he's just an old friend. Fred was one of the first people I met when I moved to the city. He gave me a place to stay until I found a place of my own. I didn't have any money to pay him with so, I taught him how to play some rhythms on a pickle tub."

"But playing the drums is easy! You just have to take two sticks and hit them against the tub."

Angel gave Taylor a look of disbelief. "There's more to playing than 'just hitting two sticks against a tub'! Rhythms can be hard to master! You could hit it in the middle, on the side, on the edge, lift the bottom of the tub as you play, you hit the bottom of the tub against the ground to add more beat… It is very complicated!"

"Gee…I had no idea pickle tub playing could be so complicated," Taylor said while rolling her eyes. Angel hit her playfully in the arm. "Taylor Schunard, are you mocking me and my passion for drumming?" Angel said with mock hurt. "I don't know Angel Dumott Schunard. Maybe I am," Taylor said with a smile. They two laughed at their silliness. It reminded them of all the good times and laughs they shared as kids. But they both knew that was a long time ago.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**There's a very small Harry Potter reference (I wrote this around the time I finished **_**Deathly Hallows**_**). If you can spot it, you get a cookie. **

**There is a lot more to come. I just have to type it up.**


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm so sorry about the lack of update. School's been a crazy mess and I finally had some time to type this up. I think I wrote and rewrote this chapter at least six times. I'm still not happy with it but it's the best and furthest I've gotten._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel led Taylor off the subway and out onto a street. Taylor looked up at the street sign on the corner.

"Avenue B…That's a strange name for a street," Taylor mused to herself.

"Well, they don't call it Alphabet City for nothing, Tay…"

"Touché… Well Angel, lead the way!"

Angel smiled. He looked so proud that his sister was taking in his new lifestyle choices so well and without complain. But he knew that the biggest test of all still lay ahead. Taylor was accepting of Angel's sexuality, but would she be as accepting of Angel as a drag queen? _What if she hates me for it?_ He just took a deep breath and pushed the thought from his mind for the time being and continued walking down Avenue B. Angel's sudden silence and fast change in expression caught Taylor's attention.

"Angel, are you ok? What's wrong?"

Angel snapped out of his worrisome thoughts. "Nothing chica. I mean, I am taking you to meet my boyfriend for the first time," Angel chirped, resuming his usual cheerful demeanour. Taylor laughed at the comment, but she had a feeling that wasn't the reason Angel looked upset. There was something more. There always was with Angel. Taylor learned early on not to press Angel when he wasn't ready to talk, so she dropped the matter. But she knew he'd tell her when he was ready.

The two walked by a small café called the Life Café. Angel pointed at it, "That's where we'll be meeting my friends for dinner."

"It's so…tiny!"

"Well, that's because it is. But the Life Café is the only decent restaurant that serves great vegetarian and vegan dishes for us Bohos against meat."

They turned on 10th Avenue and Angel led Taylor into a building with a black, rickety fire escape on the front of the building, connecting the four floors of apartments. In Taylor's opinion, the building looked a bit run-down, but compared to how people were living in the park across from the Life Café, it was like the apartment was an upscale hotel.

"The building's really old so there's no elevator. I hope you don't mind walking up three flights of stairs."

"Geeze Angel. With all this walking and climbing, it's no wonder how you've stayed so fit all these years," Taylor said with hints of amusement, annoyance, and admiration.

"C'mon, I'll race you up!"

"But I don't know where your apartment is."

Angel pointed to a landing three floors up. "Just to that landing. Please?" Angel pouted a pout almost rival to Maureen's.

"Fine," Taylor sighed.

Angel squealed with delight. "Yay! Alright, ready, set…GO!" and he darted up the stairs with graceful, long, quick strides. Taylor sighed and ran up, two steps at a time. She silently cursed Angel's long legs and her own shorter and stubbier ones. By the time Taylor got to the 3rd floor, Angel was already there doing a small victory dance.

"Angel, I hope your apartment is close by because I am pooped from that climb," Taylor panted. She made a mental note to start exercising more at home.

"Aw, honey. Don't worry. We're almost there."

They passed by three doors before Angel deposited a key in one of the doors.

"Welcome to my humble abode," he said swinging the door open.

I wasn't much, but it had a certain homey quality about it that put Taylor immediately at ease. She walked in and took in her surroundings. From where she stood, she could see a large living room area with a small couch in front of a small coffee table. To the right of the "living room" there was a small kitchen area, separated by foldable screens with various fabrics draped over it. There was a table with four chairs half in the kitchen and half in the living room area. On the over side of the apartment, there were three doors Taylor assumed to be bedrooms and a bathroom. The large window the couch faced looked like a person could easily use to climb on to the rusting fire escape. Taylor guessed she would have been able to see the park across from the Life Café from this window, if the curtains, made up of fabrics varying in textures and colours, weren't closed. The walls were plastered with various posters advertising movies, bands at someplace called CBGB's, and a couple local protests.

"It's not much, but it's home."

"I think it's brilliant," Taylor said grinning at her surroundings. She sat on the small couch with a slight creak. Angel smiled and joined his sister who was already looking at the pictures on the coffee table.

The first one had a handsome African-American man, Taylor assumed to be Tom, and Angel sitting on his lap on a worn out orange couch. The two of them, completely lost in thought and each other's gaze, had their hands intertwined. They looked so in love it was almost sickeningly too sweet. She couldn't help but "Aw…" out loud.

"What cha looking at?"

Taylor handed him the picture frame and Angel smiled.

"I take it that's Tom, right? Damn he's good looking! If he were into girls…" Taylor trailed on while Angel laughed.

"Sorry hon, but he's mine. "

Taylor looked at the picture some more, admiring the love and admiration the two men in the picture had for each other. If anyone wasn't sure they loved each other, this picture would be the proof.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Thoughts? Hate it? Love it?_

_I promise I will introduce another Boho next chapter. It's just taking me some time to figure out how…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay an update! Happy New Year everyone!**

_She's taking this so well! I can't believe I thought she was going to hate me… I can't believe this is happening. She's actually here. On my couch. Laughing and joking with me. She seems to like the apartment. I really should have thought of cleaning up! But she looks at all of this as if it's a five star hotel or something…_

Angel's musings were interrupted by the sound of the apartment door opening. Both Angel and Taylor turned to see who it was. Taylor looked at the photo she was holding and then back at the man in the doorway, then back at the photo. Angel was smiling and got up to greet this mystery man with a small peck on the lips.

"Collins, this is my step-sister Taylor Schunard. Taylor, this is my boyfriend Tom Collins." Angel motioned for Taylor to come over.

The first thing Taylor noticed about Collins was his height. He had to have been at least six foot two. The second, and more impressive, thing she noticed was the kindness written all over his face. There was a certain twinkle in his eye when looked at Angel Taylor occasionally saw between her dad and step-mom. His smile amazed her. He somehow could display the biggest smile Taylor had ever seen without looking goofy or silly. He was wearing an open blue button up shirt with a plain gray t-shirt underneath, jeans, and a black beanie on his head. Taylor couldn't put he finger on what it was, but something about Collins that put her at ease. When she shook his hand, she noticed that his hands were very soft, but they had a rough quality of the hands of someone who's had to work with their hands.

"It's very nice to meet you, Tom," Taylor said a bit nervously. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact she was shaking hands with her brother's _boyfriend_. Brother's boyfriend. It still sounded a little strange to her but it wasn't as much of a foreign thought now that she had a face to the name.

Collins just smiled and chuckled a bit. "It's nice to meet you too, Taylor. And call me Collins. Everyone does." A little bit of the tension in Taylor was released by his casual tone. "Come! Sit down and tell me about yourself."

Collins and Taylor went to sit while Angel went to go call Mark, Joanne, Maureen, Roger, and Mimi to organize dinner.

Collins took a moment to take in his lover's sister. He could definitely tell they weren't biological siblings. Taylor stood before him at five foot eight, with curly blond hair with natural brown highlights. He could tell she was nervous about meeting him from the way her hazel eyes looked back at him. Judging by the modest blue and white sweater and jeans, he guessed that Angel must have left too early to have a lasting impression on her fashion sense. Not necessarily a bad thing, but he could tell she was generally a very shy person. He made a mental note to make sure he introduced her to Mark. The boy needs somebody to talk to when everyone else is making out, right? Maybe he'll put the camera down for once…

"So Taylor, Angel's been pretty quiet when it comes to her family. I really want to get to know who his family was and who you are. If he ever was talking about family, your name _always_ came up." This caused Taylor to blush a little.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Hmm… How about how you two were as siblings?"

Taylor took a deep breath. "Well you see, when I was three and Angel was ten, my dad and Angel's mom got married. I don't remember my mom very much and I don't know what happened to her. My dad doesn't like to talk about it. Because I was so young, I grew up calling Angel's mom "mom". I don't know why the two of us got along so well but we did. Angel was the best. He was my best friend, my mentor, and my big brother. We only were only siblings for seven years but they were seven amazing years of fun and love. I didn't really have many friends being from "that mixed family" everyone seemed to avoid like the plague. We were the unconventional family since it was both our parents' second marriage and it was an interracial marriage. They decided against having anymore kids after seeing what we were going through in society. It didn't bother since I had Angel around."

Taylor shifted her gaze from Collins to the table and the floor. "Then one day when I was ten, all that changed.

_**Flashback**_

Angel was taking Taylor out for their weekly trip to the ice cream store. A bunch of boys from his school were there and they kept calling Angel names. Angel made sure Taylor didn't hear them by keeping her occupied with an ice cream and covering her ears. She could see it bothered him a lot. She asked him what was wrong but he just smiled and told her to eat my treat.

That night Taylor was up in my room doing homework when she heard shouting from her dad's home office. Her dad and Angel were yelling at each other, but she couldn't tell what they were saying. She heard Angel running up the stairs and slamming his door shut. Taylor peeked out of her room and crept halfway down the stairs and stole a glance into the home office. Her dad looked like he was a red balloon about to burst from too much air and Angel's mom looked like a broken china doll and was crying in a chair.

"Taylor, you should go back into your room." Angel had come out of his room. His face was tearstained and his eyes were red and puffy.

"Why is daddy so mad? And why are you and mom so sad?"

Angel just sighed and said that he'd explain it all later and told her to go back to her room and go to bed. Trusting Angel, she retreated to her room and he turned on a music box he bought her for her 9th birthday using money he earned from working at Mr. Rosa's grocery store. The music of the box lulled Taylor to sleep. Angel whispered that he loved her and shut the door.

_**End Flashback**_

"Angel was gone the next morning. Dad and mom wouldn't tell me why Angel was gone or where he had gone. Mom took all of the pictures of Angel and put them in a box in the basement. They acted as if he had never existed. If I ever mentioned him, dad got really angry and looked like he was about to break whatever he was holding. Mom just looked like he was about she was about to cry. Fast forward to five years later and we get a letter from Angel completely out of the blue. Dad read it, tore it up and threw it out. I was curious so I fished it out and put the letter back together. I can't describe the feeling I felt when I realized it was from Angel. I wanted answers so I wrote back and arranged to meet him. I told mom and dad I was going out with friends and here I am."

Taylor was fighting back burning tears brought on by the memory of Angel's departure. Collins had leaned back against the back of his seat and patiently let Taylor tell her story. He leaned forward and handed Taylor a Kleenex and put his hand on her knee. Taylor thanked him, took the tissue and dabbed her eyes and blew her nose quite loudly.

"Damn, girl! That was loud!"

Taylor giggled at Collins' comment. His ability to make such her go from feeling sad and crappy to cheered up with just five words impressed her immensely.


	6. Chapter 6

**Blegh! Exam time... I should be studying but, procrastination is an art form I have now re-prefected. Enjoy this chapter!**

Taylor recomposed herself. _Tom-er…Collins is such a great listener! _He reminded her of her guidance counsellor at school, Mr. Parent. Both knew how to listen intently and how to comfort someone they barely knew as if they had been friends for years. One minute, happy and carefree, the next, very serious, then within seconds, back to cracking jokes at all the right times to lighten the mood.

Slowly, Taylor was starting to gain understanding and appreciation of Angel's new life. She could see why he was so happy to be in a part of town littered with homeless people and drug addict. Behind the rough exterior of the neighbourhood, Angel has everything Taylor only dreams of having; an apartment of his own, a wonderful boyfriend, a way of getting money that is both legal and fun, and a family of friends who seemed to support him completely. The more she thought about this "family", the more anxious Taylor was growing about meeting them.

Collins looked up at the wall clock he "borrowed" from the MIT faculty lounge, (Hey, they were kicking him out! Might as well take a souvenir, right?) was visible from the kitchen. It was almost 4:15.

"Angel? When are we meeting everyone?" Collins called out to a currently invisible Angel.

"Joanne said she's finished work at 5 and knowing Maureen, they probably won't get there until 6. Mimi and Roger said they'll be there by 5:30, which really means 5:45 since they're having a good week. When I called, Mark was about to go out to do some filming in Tompkins Square Park so, he go in with us at around 5-ish," came Angel's voice from one of the bedrooms, muffled by the closed door.

"Thank you!" he yelled back. "Well, Taylor, now that we know we have 45 minutes to kill, is there anything you'd like to know about me or our friends?"

There was one thing but Taylor didn't really know how to phrase the question.

"Um…" Collins leaned in to catch the question. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything but…is there going to be any smoking or drugs?"

Collins furrowed his brow. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not judging or anything it's just…well…" She took a deep breath, "Since my parents don't know I'm here and they know the friends I have at school would never smoke, drink, or do drugs, I don't want them to put me in a boot camp for druggie teens if I come home smelling like smoke or something." Taylor was bright red from embarrassment. _He probably thinks I'm some silly judgemental teenager now… Great…_ To Taylor's surprise and relief, he smiled that magnificent smile.

"I can't make any promises but I'm pretty sure I could find you a change of clothes so yours don't get smell-a-fied. Or whatever the word is for it is…" Taylor raised an eyebrow.

"Smell-a-fied? Is that even a word?"

"Psh! It doesn't matter. Words are so much cooler when you make them up," he said waving her off. "Hmm… Mimi's always over here. She's bound to have left some clothes around here, somewhere. You look about the same size as her and she's only a few years older than you…" He murmured to himself as he got up and walked towards one of the bedrooms and knocked on the door. Angel emerged, dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a simple black shirt that hugged his body in all the right places. Collins whispered something to Angel. Angel nodded and he came out of the room.

"I'm not sure if Mimi's clothing will be your style but, we'll see what we have that you can wear."

He led her into the other bedroom, which Taylor discovered wasn't really a bedroom at all. Inside, there was a sewing machine on a table with a chair, and fabric and clothes _everywhere_!

Angel rifled through a basket labelled, "Bring to the Loft" with a bright pink sticky note. There was a pair of plaid pants that had a few patches expertly sewn on, countless small shirts and skirts (most of which were covered in sequins), and a modest sweater like Taylor's, only red and blue. Angel handed Taylor all of the shirts and skirts that weren't glittery.

"Try them on. I'm sure Mimi wouldn't mind. I'll leave so you can surprise us when you pick something." Angel winked and shut the door behind him.

Taylor looked at all the clothes in her arms. Most of the skirts were _way_ too short for her liking but, beggars can't be choosers. She brushed some glitter off of a simple purple peasant top. It reminded her of photos she saw of hippies from the 70's. She smiled as she pulled her sweater off and pulled the purple one on. It was fairly low-cut but, that was the style of the shirt so Taylor didn't mind that much. _Now, all I need are bottoms to match…_ Taylor rummaged through the skirts. She really didn't like skirts in general all that much. She had always been told she had the legs to pull off short skirts but, she never really felt comfortable wearing them. She decided to keep her own jeans on and risk her mother finding out.

Taylor smoothed out the shirt, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door. She poked her head around the corner and looked for Angel and Collins. They were sitting at the table in the kitchen talking. Angel's hand was placed perfectly intertwined with Collins'. Since Angel had her back to Taylor, Collins was the first to notice Taylor had emerged. He smiled at her and Angel turned around beaming.

"Well, don't just stand there hiding! Let's see what you're wearing."

Taylor hesitated for a moment and walked out into the middle of the room. She spun around for the couple to see her.

"What do you think?"

"I think Angel better keep you locked up and away from all the straight men of Alphabet City and Maureen as possible." This earned Collins a smack in the arm from Angel and caused Taylor to blush a little.

"_Thank you_, Collins," Angel shook his head at his lover and turned back to his step-sister, "But he's right, hon. You look gorgeous!"

"I didn't think it was possible to blush so much in one day but you guys have definitely proved that wrong! I don't think I've ever blushed so much in one day."

Collins looked up at the wall clock. "We should probably head over now. I just hope Mark hasn't pissed off anymore bag ladies. Remember what happened on Christmas?"

And the headed down to the Life recounting how Mark had verbally gotten his ass kicked by "the Bag Lady". Taylor laughed at the story but all she could think about was the fact that this was it. She was finally going to meet all the people that mattered in her step-brother's life. The owner of this shirt she was wearing, poor Mark who get's abused by bag ladies, this Maureen person who she apparently had to stay away from because she looked good in this shirt… This was it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Woo! An update. I'm so sorry about the massive delay. It's been almost a month since that last update so I apologize to you, my readers. This one is kind of long. Up until the line break, it's all Mark's POV. **

Today started out as a pretty regular day. I was up pretty early and I got absolutely no sleep last night thanks to _some people_ who've forgotten how thin the walls of the Loft are. It's good that Mimi and Roger are going steady right now. I don't think I'd be able to mediate or listen to another one of their fights for a very long time. I just have to sacrifice sleep for it… I say, it's nothing a little bit of crappy coffee with the Village Voice can't fix.

Collins came by around noon. I asked him where Angel was. It wasn't like her to miss out on a visit to the loft. Collins simply said Angel was busy with something. He looked worried but he insisted it wasn't anything to worry about.

"Where's Roger?" I shot a glance at Roger's bed room door. "Collins followed my eyes and he frowned. "They didn't get into a fight again, did they?"

"Far from it. They're uh… _thanking_… each other for being so wonderful to each other." I replied with a hint of annoyance.

Collins was bent over with laughter. "So, _that's_ why you're up drinking that god awful coffee! They must have been thanking their brains out all night long for you to dig up that shit!"

"Yes they were and now this conversation is awkward."

"Aw… Looks like Markie's a little bit cranky." He messed up my hair good naturedly. Collins seemed cheered up considerably but there was still a glint of worry in his eyes. Whatever Angel's doing today, Collins has feeling it may end badly and he wants to be with his woman. I didn't ask him about it again. I've known Collins long enough to know that if he wants to keep something hidden, you'll never find it unless he tells you himself. He was the same way when he found out about his HIV test. He never told any of us the result but we could tell it wasn't good news.

We left the two lovebirds in the Loft and we took the subway to Life Support. Paul seemed glad to see me but his smile drooped slightly when he saw I was just there for filming. I think he's hoping I'll eventually open up and talk in the discussions instead of hide behind my camera. I want to but I don't know what to say or how to say it. (What a paradox am I; a filmmaker who can't express his feelings!) Steve wasn't there. The poor guy has been getting really think and sickly looking. Everyone knows what's coming up but I still hold hope that he's okay at the moment.

After an hour and a half of filming people baring their souls, Collins and I left the community centre and tried to get lunch at a small restaurant across the street. Unfortunately, the man who runs it doesn't like bohemians who can't always pay for their meals all that much. He chased us out the moment we stepped through the door. He remembered us from the last time were there. Street food isn't so bad… You just have to not think about where it may have been before your mouth… Blegh!

We took our "meal" with us on the train back to the Loft. Collins and I were debating about what hot dogs were actually made of when Roger and Mimi finally emerged from Roger's room. Collins noticed them first. "Look who's decided to grace us with their presence at…" He looked down at my watch, "…3:37 on this lovely April afternoon!" Roger shot him the finger as he trudged over to the kitchen area to look for some cereal to eat.

"Good morning to you too." I said sarcastically. Roger just grunted and poured some cereal.

Mimi emerged a minute later with her bushy hair skilfully pulled back into a messy ponytail. She joined her boyfriend, clearly more cheerful than him.

"Hey Collins! What cha doing here? Where's Angel?"

Collins' smile vanished briefly. "She had to do something important today."

Mimi was about to press him for details but I cut her off. "Can you two do me a favour? The next time you decide to go at it all night, can you let me know so I can buy earplugs or something?" Roger found this quite amusing and earned a light smack from Mimi.

"Aw c'mon, Markie, we're not _that_ loud. Well Roger maybe, but not me." Roger's jaw dropped at Mimi's bluntness. A few Fruit Loops fell out of his mouth.

I just shook my head as Collins, clearly enjoying this, was trying to suppress his laughter.

"Whatever, I'm going to take a shower. Care to join me, Mr. Davies?" Roger didn't need to be told twice. He abandoned his cereal and followed Mimi into the bathroom. The moment the door closed, Collins finally let out all his laughter. I started banging my head on the metal table. I hate being the single on in the Loft.

"Hey, man, it's okay. We'll find you a girl and they'll start complaining about how loud you two are." I gave him a "that's not helping look" and cleared Roger's forgotten cereal.

"I'd love to stay and keep you company but I should be getting home. Angel may already be back. I should be there in case something went wrong."

He left shortly after. I watched him exit the building from the fire escape. He turned the corner and left. I stayed out there enjoying the nice day. It looked like I probably could get some good footage down at Tompkins Square Park. I was putting some fresh film in my camera when the phone rang. I screened the call. Thank goodness I did. It was that annoying Alexi Darling trying to get me to work at Buzzline. She really does not give up. About five minutes later, it rang again. I thought it was Alexi again so I ignored it. The machine picked it up.

"Mark? Roger? I know you're there. Pick-"

"Hey, Angel. What's up?"

"Can you, Roger and Mimi come to the Life Café tonight? I have a bit of surprise."

"Sure I'm going down to Tompkins Square Park right now. I can meet you there if you want. What time should I tell Mimi and Roger to be there by?"

"Well, are they still having a good week?"

"You have no idea…"

She laughed. "Alright, well, tell them to be there at 5:30."

"Alright, Angel. I'm assuming Maureen and Joanne will be there, too.

"Of course! According to Collins, it's not a party without Maureen."

I laughed "So true. I'll see you later."

"Bye, hon!"

I hung up the phone and wrote three notes for Roger and Mimi and stuck one to Roger's bedroom door, one to the metal table and one to the bathroom door. I'd open the door and yell what I had written down but I'm worried about what I might walk in on.

Mark filmed some pigeons and homeless people for about half an hour. None of it was of great quality. He started filming the happy little kids on the playground for a bit but one of the parents came over and told him to stop if he liked having my teeth and glasses. Needless to say, he stopped. He sat on the bench and enjoyed the cool spring air. There weren't too many days like these in the city. It's one of the only things he missed about his childhood in the suburbs. Those cool, fresh, breezy spring and fall days… They were his only regret about moving away.

Mark's train of thought was interrupted by a familiar voice calling his name. He looked up. There was Angel, out of drag, running up to him with Collins and an unfamiliar young girl trailing behind, walking slowly. Mark stood up so to accept the hug that was charging at him. Angel always gave the best hugs. Her arms just magically moulded to your body. By the time Angel had released him, Collins and the mysterious blonde had caught up. Mark couldn't help but notice how her pretty she was. Her hair came to her shoulders and the sun accentuated the highlights in her hair. She looked so young. She couldn't have been more than 16 years old. Her shy hazel eyes studied him briefly. It was like she was a camera, carefully taking in her surroundings and recording it in her mind for safe keeping. It was safe to say she was not from this part of town.

Collins enveloped Mark in another hug. Collins' hugs were bear hugs. They were almost as good as Angel's but just as effective. "Hey, man! Long time no see!"

"Yes, because an hour is _such_ a long time." Mark replied rolling his eyes. "Um, Collins? Can you kinda let go. I'm having trouble breathing…"

He unlatched immediately and apologized and ruffled Mark's hair. Mark sighed and tried to flatten it out again.

"Mark, this is Taylor." Angel motioned to the shy girl. "Taylor this is our friend Mark." They shook hands.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mark."

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Mark, Taylor is my sister." Mark did his famous one eyebrow raise.

"Sister? No offence Angel, but you guys don't look anything alike."

"That's because she's my step-sister, silly! We've been siblings for over 13 years so I just consider her my actual sister." Mark's eyebrow was still cocked. Angel sighed. "It's a long story and I wanted you guys to meet her. Don't worry! I'll explain everything over dinner."

But Mark wanted to know now. He had always imaged Angel having a lot of siblings but of all the people in New York, the teenager before him was the last person he'd have guessed. Then again, she did say "step-sister" so that would explain the physical differences… Mark looked at Taylor and she seemed to shrink into Collins under his gaze. It scared him that he could frighten her.

Mark looked down at his watch. "We should probably go in and try to get a table before that evening maître d' gets there. I swear that guy has it out for us… So, we forgot to pay the bill a couple times. Does that give him the right to not serve us?" Collins and Angel laughed and slung his arm around Mark as they walked towards the tiny café. Taylor looked slightly confused about what was so funny but followed anyways holding hands with her brother.


	8. AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ

Dear Readers,

Wow… It's been a long time. A lot has change in my life since I started writing _Taylor_ and my muse is long gone. I just don't know how to continue it. If anyone was still hoping for an ending, I'm sorry. I can't give it to you. I really appreciate everyone's feedback. If anyone wants to take over this story, I'd love to read what you come up with! Just let me know.

I might eventually trim it down to the orginal or just delete it completely. I haven't decided yet...

-Muffy


End file.
